Is eucalyptus a "passable" boat wood?

[bret]

Hey all!
Been occupied with the outside world for some time and it's good to see that the site is still churning out the good information, and whatever it is that is being churned out of the bilge.

Out on a little family bike ride today and we went past a stand of eucalyptus and began wondering again if they would be a usable boat wood. Not talking big, complex ships, but skiffs, dories, day sailers, ect. Searched the site and found a reference that would put what I was looking at as blue gum and lousy fire wood, but is 30' to 40' of perfectly staight trunk without any branches just seems like it would have to at least be usable for something.

[bret]

Hey all!
Been occupied with the outside world for some time and it's good to see that the site is still churning out the good information, and whatever it is that is being churned out of the bilge.

Out on a little family bike ride today and we went past a stand of eucalyptus and began wondering again if they would be a usable boat wood. Not talking big, complex ships, but skiffs, dories, day sailers, ect. Searched the site and found a reference that would put what I was looking at as blue gum and lousy fire wood, but is 30' to 40' of perfectly staight trunk without any branches just seems like it would have to at least be usable for something.

[bret]

Hey all!
Been occupied with the outside world for some time and it's good to see that the site is still churning out the good information, and whatever it is that is being churned out of the bilge.

Out on a little family bike ride today and we went past a stand of eucalyptus and began wondering again if they would be a usable boat wood. Not talking big, complex ships, but skiffs, dories, day sailers, ect. Searched the site and found a reference that would put what I was looking at as blue gum and lousy fire wood, but is 30' to 40' of perfectly staight trunk without any branches just seems like it would have to at least be usable for something.

[Dave Fleming]

Nope, not worth anything.

Story goes that some fella seeing the growth of railroads across the country and the the demand for good RR ties thought a fast growing low water tolerant hard wood from Australia would fit the bill.

He was after RED GUM but when the ship arrived in California it carried, unknown to him BLUE GUM.
The stock was planted in nurserys up and down the state.
Wasn't until some botanist checked did anyone realize it was the wrong tree!
By that time birds had carried the seeds all over the damn place.
Another scheme to sure wealth shot in the foot.

It will burn for firewood but you must fall and split it in the wet season else the twisted interlocking grain will just laugh at your efforts. Takes a full summer and fall to dry and be usable.

Sometime in the 1970s Masonite Corp had the bright idea to set up a pilot plant outside Sonoma, Ca., for turning plentiful Blue Gum into pulp for some wood products. IIRC, the project lasted perhaps a year or two and was then shut down and the plant dismantled.

Bob Darr of the Arques School, a long while back when he had a small boatshop out at Marshall claimed he could work Blue Gum for boats but, that was then and this is now and, I cannot recall anything beyond those "BS" sessions out there about it.

[Dave Fleming]

Nope, not worth anything.

Story goes that some fella seeing the growth of railroads across the country and the the demand for good RR ties thought a fast growing low water tolerant hard wood from Australia would fit the bill.

He was after RED GUM but when the ship arrived in California it carried, unknown to him BLUE GUM.
The stock was planted in nurserys up and down the state.
Wasn't until some botanist checked did anyone realize it was the wrong tree!
By that time birds had carried the seeds all over the damn place.
Another scheme to sure wealth shot in the foot.

It will burn for firewood but you must fall and split it in the wet season else the twisted interlocking grain will just laugh at your efforts. Takes a full summer and fall to dry and be usable.

Sometime in the 1970s Masonite Corp had the bright idea to set up a pilot plant outside Sonoma, Ca., for turning plentiful Blue Gum into pulp for some wood products. IIRC, the project lasted perhaps a year or two and was then shut down and the plant dismantled.

Bob Darr of the Arques School, a long while back when he had a small boatshop out at Marshall claimed he could work Blue Gum for boats but, that was then and this is now and, I cannot recall anything beyond those "BS" sessions out there about it.

[Dave Fleming]

Nope, not worth anything.

Story goes that some fella seeing the growth of railroads across the country and the the demand for good RR ties thought a fast growing low water tolerant hard wood from Australia would fit the bill.

He was after RED GUM but when the ship arrived in California it carried, unknown to him BLUE GUM.
The stock was planted in nurserys up and down the state.
Wasn't until some botanist checked did anyone realize it was the wrong tree!
By that time birds had carried the seeds all over the damn place.
Another scheme to sure wealth shot in the foot.

It will burn for firewood but you must fall and split it in the wet season else the twisted interlocking grain will just laugh at your efforts. Takes a full summer and fall to dry and be usable.

Sometime in the 1970s Masonite Corp had the bright idea to set up a pilot plant outside Sonoma, Ca., for turning plentiful Blue Gum into pulp for some wood products. IIRC, the project lasted perhaps a year or two and was then shut down and the plant dismantled.

Bob Darr of the Arques School, a long while back when he had a small boatshop out at Marshall claimed he could work Blue Gum for boats but, that was then and this is now and, I cannot recall anything beyond those "BS" sessions out there about it.

[bret]

It just seems a shame. I was looking at trees with three to four foot diameter trunks with out branches for at least thirty feet. Absolutely straight as an arrow. Is the stuff rot prone? Does it float?

[bret]

It just seems a shame. I was looking at trees with three to four foot diameter trunks with out branches for at least thirty feet. Absolutely straight as an arrow. Is the stuff rot prone? Does it float?

[bret]

It just seems a shame. I was looking at trees with three to four foot diameter trunks with out branches for at least thirty feet. Absolutely straight as an arrow. Is the stuff rot prone? Does it float?

[Dave Fleming]

Straight? Most trees that I have seen falled are corkscrew in grain. And as I said the wood has interlocking grain which doesn't help the firewood splitting one bit.
I have no idea if it floats, probably has some resistance to rot. Got all those oils in it. Which smoke and give off little bits of stuff if you try to burn it 'before its time'.
You do get a good whiff of the 'Vicks Vaporub' smell don'cha or the Noxema aroma?

[Dave Fleming]

Straight? Most trees that I have seen falled are corkscrew in grain. And as I said the wood has interlocking grain which doesn't help the firewood splitting one bit.
I have no idea if it floats, probably has some resistance to rot. Got all those oils in it. Which smoke and give off little bits of stuff if you try to burn it 'before its time'.
You do get a good whiff of the 'Vicks Vaporub' smell don'cha or the Noxema aroma?

[Dave Fleming]

Straight? Most trees that I have seen falled are corkscrew in grain. And as I said the wood has interlocking grain which doesn't help the firewood splitting one bit.
I have no idea if it floats, probably has some resistance to rot. Got all those oils in it. Which smoke and give off little bits of stuff if you try to burn it 'before its time'.
You do get a good whiff of the 'Vicks Vaporub' smell don'cha or the Noxema aroma?

[bret]

Definitely enjoy the smell of eucalyptus on a nice summer day. I haven't had the chance to split any of the stuff to see the grain. The trees do grow remarkably staight, though. I suppose that if it were a good boat wood someone over the last couple thousand years would have figured it out and we would all be building masts or making planks out of eucalyptus.

[bret]

Definitely enjoy the smell of eucalyptus on a nice summer day. I haven't had the chance to split any of the stuff to see the grain. The trees do grow remarkably staight, though. I suppose that if it were a good boat wood someone over the last couple thousand years would have figured it out and we would all be building masts or making planks out of eucalyptus.

[bret]

Definitely enjoy the smell of eucalyptus on a nice summer day. I haven't had the chance to split any of the stuff to see the grain. The trees do grow remarkably staight, though. I suppose that if it were a good boat wood someone over the last couple thousand years would have figured it out and we would all be building masts or making planks out of eucalyptus.

[PeterSibley]

I've got no idea what kind of eucalypt your "blue gum" is. Here in Oz we build very good boats out of gum...but perhaps not the one you've got .We tend to use it in big boats, well medium, where a bit of weight doesn't matter .It usually doesn't float.Most average 60 lb per c ft...'bout the same as water.For smaller craft find something light.
One of the problems with eucalypts is sawing them,there are usually a lot of internal stresses and it helps to know what you're doing if you want straight material,basically you cut the spring out of the cant then resaw it.Helps if you've done it.

And done right it's about the best firewood you can get.If its hard to split cut the blocks shorter and try splitting at a tangent rather than radially.

[PeterSibley]

I've got no idea what kind of eucalypt your "blue gum" is. Here in Oz we build very good boats out of gum...but perhaps not the one you've got .We tend to use it in big boats, well medium, where a bit of weight doesn't matter .It usually doesn't float.Most average 60 lb per c ft...'bout the same as water.For smaller craft find something light.
One of the problems with eucalypts is sawing them,there are usually a lot of internal stresses and it helps to know what you're doing if you want straight material,basically you cut the spring out of the cant then resaw it.Helps if you've done it.

And done right it's about the best firewood you can get.If its hard to split cut the blocks shorter and try splitting at a tangent rather than radially.

[PeterSibley]

I've got no idea what kind of eucalypt your "blue gum" is. Here in Oz we build very good boats out of gum...but perhaps not the one you've got .We tend to use it in big boats, well medium, where a bit of weight doesn't matter .It usually doesn't float.Most average 60 lb per c ft...'bout the same as water.For smaller craft find something light.
One of the problems with eucalypts is sawing them,there are usually a lot of internal stresses and it helps to know what you're doing if you want straight material,basically you cut the spring out of the cant then resaw it.Helps if you've done it.

And done right it's about the best firewood you can get.If its hard to split cut the blocks shorter and try splitting at a tangent rather than radially.

[Mike Field]

.
Southern blue gum (Eucalyptus globulus) has a wide sapwood, is susceptible to lyctus attack, and is modertaely durable for fungi and termite attack. It's in strength group B (second highest,) and weighs in at 56 pcf at 12½% mc or 75 pcf green.

Sydney blue gum (E. saligna) has the same resistance and durability, is in the same strength group, but is marginally less dense at 53 pcf (or 70 pcf green.)

Sydney blue is not as widely distributed as southern blue, but both have been used for railway sleepers as well as building scantlings. Southern blue is also used for piles, poles, posts, and heavy structures.

Specifically in boatbuilding, both timbers have been used for aprons, deadwood, horn timbers, runners, stringers, shelves, gunwales, covering boards, decking, hatch covers, deck beams, and planking. Southern blue has also been used for keels, keelsons and hogs, timbers, strongbacks, and mooring and towing bitts.

So like Peter, I'd be interested to know what "blue gum" your American eucalypt actually is.
_____________

Edited to add -- By the way, there was a thread about the Californian eucalypts running here a few months back.

[ 09-19-2004, 09:13 PM: Message edited by: Mike Field ]

[Mike Field]

.
Southern blue gum (Eucalyptus globulus) has a wide sapwood, is susceptible to lyctus attack, and is modertaely durable for fungi and termite attack. It's in strength group B (second highest,) and weighs in at 56 pcf at 12½% mc or 75 pcf green.

Sydney blue gum (E. saligna) has the same resistance and durability, is in the same strength group, but is marginally less dense at 53 pcf (or 70 pcf green.)

Sydney blue is not as widely distributed as southern blue, but both have been used for railway sleepers as well as building scantlings. Southern blue is also used for piles, poles, posts, and heavy structures.

Specifically in boatbuilding, both timbers have been used for aprons, deadwood, horn timbers, runners, stringers, shelves, gunwales, covering boards, decking, hatch covers, deck beams, and planking. Southern blue has also been used for keels, keelsons and hogs, timbers, strongbacks, and mooring and towing bitts.

So like Peter, I'd be interested to know what "blue gum" your American eucalypt actually is.
_____________

Edited to add -- By the way, there was a thread about the Californian eucalypts running here a few months back.

[ 09-19-2004, 09:13 PM: Message edited by: Mike Field ]

[Mike Field]

.
Southern blue gum (Eucalyptus globulus) has a wide sapwood, is susceptible to lyctus attack, and is modertaely durable for fungi and termite attack. It's in strength group B (second highest,) and weighs in at 56 pcf at 12½% mc or 75 pcf green.

Sydney blue gum (E. saligna) has the same resistance and durability, is in the same strength group, but is marginally less dense at 53 pcf (or 70 pcf green.)

Sydney blue is not as widely distributed as southern blue, but both have been used for railway sleepers as well as building scantlings. Southern blue is also used for piles, poles, posts, and heavy structures.

Specifically in boatbuilding, both timbers have been used for aprons, deadwood, horn timbers, runners, stringers, shelves, gunwales, covering boards, decking, hatch covers, deck beams, and planking. Southern blue has also been used for keels, keelsons and hogs, timbers, strongbacks, and mooring and towing bitts.

So like Peter, I'd be interested to know what "blue gum" your American eucalypt actually is.
_____________

Edited to add -- By the way, there was a thread about the Californian eucalypts running here a few months back.

[ 09-19-2004, 09:13 PM: Message edited by: Mike Field ]

[Bruce Hooke]

If you've got some time and want to know ALL about the history of the eucalyptus in California, check out this website: http://wwwlibrary.csustan.edu/bsantos/euctoc.htm#toc

[Bruce Hooke]

If you've got some time and want to know ALL about the history of the eucalyptus in California, check out this website: http://wwwlibrary.csustan.edu/bsantos/euctoc.htm#toc

[Bruce Hooke]

If you've got some time and want to know ALL about the history of the eucalyptus in California, check out this website: http://wwwlibrary.csustan.edu/bsantos/euctoc.htm#toc

[NormMessinger]

I have two pieces of eucalyptus that were given to me by a friend of son Wes's. One, E. nitens or nyatta is suggestive of luan, very light, porus and almost with out grain. The other, E. marginata or jurrah is suggestive of snakewood, very hard, dense but with subtle grain pattern.

That has nothing to do with the discussion at hand but I just had to tell ya.

P.S.: Interesting reading Bruce. Back in the old days we could get cheep lumber called gum from crates and such. I had not associated it with Eucalyptus. I didn't find nyatta mentioned but the article mentioned jurrah as being grown in Kalliephorneya. I'd like to have a bunch of it to make something beautiful. Thanks for calling that link to our attention.

[ 09-19-2004, 12:15 PM: Message edited by: NormMessinger ]

[NormMessinger]

I have two pieces of eucalyptus that were given to me by a friend of son Wes's. One, E. nitens or nyatta is suggestive of luan, very light, porus and almost with out grain. The other, E. marginata or jurrah is suggestive of snakewood, very hard, dense but with subtle grain pattern.

That has nothing to do with the discussion at hand but I just had to tell ya.

P.S.: Interesting reading Bruce. Back in the old days we could get cheep lumber called gum from crates and such. I had not associated it with Eucalyptus. I didn't find nyatta mentioned but the article mentioned jurrah as being grown in Kalliephorneya. I'd like to have a bunch of it to make something beautiful. Thanks for calling that link to our attention.

[ 09-19-2004, 12:15 PM: Message edited by: NormMessinger ]

[NormMessinger]

I have two pieces of eucalyptus that were given to me by a friend of son Wes's. One, E. nitens or nyatta is suggestive of luan, very light, porus and almost with out grain. The other, E. marginata or jurrah is suggestive of snakewood, very hard, dense but with subtle grain pattern.

That has nothing to do with the discussion at hand but I just had to tell ya.

P.S.: Interesting reading Bruce. Back in the old days we could get cheep lumber called gum from crates and such. I had not associated it with Eucalyptus. I didn't find nyatta mentioned but the article mentioned jurrah as being grown in Kalliephorneya. I'd like to have a bunch of it to make something beautiful. Thanks for calling that link to our attention.

[ 09-19-2004, 12:15 PM: Message edited by: NormMessinger ]

[Dave Fleming]

Thank You Bruce, very interesting reading and does for me, clear up a number of the Folk Tales that I have heard over the years out here.

50 to 100 species of Euc. in California amazing!

I have no idea where they all are but again, the ones I have personally dealt with had to be of the Blue Gum group.

If we jump to the discussion of RED GUM I know it well. A good boat building timber for larger vessels. Stems, Stern Posts, Floors all are fine when made with RED GUM.

In fact one of my Imagestation albums showing the first 'new build' I worked on has several shots of the structure of NorthHead showing the RED GUM stem and stern post.
Interlocking grain, works well with sharp tools, glues well, splinters fester like blazes, can be a bit on the brittle side.

Norm, there is a Gum Wood found in North America I don't know much about it, perhaps that was the wood you recall.

As far as Jarrah goes, I have a correspondent Phil Laird, who has a furniture shop in South Australia and he works Jarrah quite a bit.

Swan River Furniture (http://www.swanriverfurniture.com.au/)

[ 09-19-2004, 12:55 PM: Message edited by: Dave Fleming ]

[Dave Fleming]

Thank You Bruce, very interesting reading and does for me, clear up a number of the Folk Tales that I have heard over the years out here.

50 to 100 species of Euc. in California amazing!

I have no idea where they all are but again, the ones I have personally dealt with had to be of the Blue Gum group.

If we jump to the discussion of RED GUM I know it well. A good boat building timber for larger vessels. Stems, Stern Posts, Floors all are fine when made with RED GUM.

In fact one of my Imagestation albums showing the first 'new build' I worked on has several shots of the structure of NorthHead showing the RED GUM stem and stern post.
Interlocking grain, works well with sharp tools, glues well, splinters fester like blazes, can be a bit on the brittle side.

Norm, there is a Gum Wood found in North America I don't know much about it, perhaps that was the wood you recall.

As far as Jarrah goes, I have a correspondent Phil Laird, who has a furniture shop in South Australia and he works Jarrah quite a bit.

Swan River Furniture (http://www.swanriverfurniture.com.au/)

[ 09-19-2004, 12:55 PM: Message edited by: Dave Fleming ]

[Dave Fleming]

Thank You Bruce, very interesting reading and does for me, clear up a number of the Folk Tales that I have heard over the years out here.

50 to 100 species of Euc. in California amazing!

I have no idea where they all are but again, the ones I have personally dealt with had to be of the Blue Gum group.

If we jump to the discussion of RED GUM I know it well. A good boat building timber for larger vessels. Stems, Stern Posts, Floors all are fine when made with RED GUM.

In fact one of my Imagestation albums showing the first 'new build' I worked on has several shots of the structure of NorthHead showing the RED GUM stem and stern post.
Interlocking grain, works well with sharp tools, glues well, splinters fester like blazes, can be a bit on the brittle side.

Norm, there is a Gum Wood found in North America I don't know much about it, perhaps that was the wood you recall.

As far as Jarrah goes, I have a correspondent Phil Laird, who has a furniture shop in South Australia and he works Jarrah quite a bit.

Swan River Furniture (http://www.swanriverfurniture.com.au/)

[ 09-19-2004, 12:55 PM: Message edited by: Dave Fleming ]

[NormMessinger]

WHOEEEEE! That Swan River furniture is just what I envisioned could be.

[NormMessinger]

WHOEEEEE! That Swan River furniture is just what I envisioned could be.

[NormMessinger]

WHOEEEEE! That Swan River furniture is just what I envisioned could be.

[Bruce Hooke]

To throw another spanner into the mix regarding "gum" wood -- I checked in A Guide to Useful Woods of the World and in the US there is a fair chance that the terms "gum" and "red gum" would refer to sweetgum (Liquidambar styraciflua), which is also apparently know as "alligator tree, alligator wood, liquiambar, hazel pine, sapgum, star-leafed gum, satin walnut, redgum, gum, and bilstead." They discribe the wood as follows:


The heartwood of sweetgum is bright brown tinged with red, frequently with darker streaks. The sapwood is creamy white. The wood often has interlocking grain which forms a ribbon stripe. Few North American woods equal sweetgum in the beauty of its grain, and the wood with the best figure is marketed as "figured red gum" ... while the sapwood is sold under the name sapgum.The book also says that it "works with unusual ease in all hand and machine tool processes." It does not, however, steam bend well and it is not great in the area of rot resistance.

In any case, clearly some caution is called for when someone talks about "gum" since it seems like they could be talking about a number of very different species!

[Bruce Hooke]

To throw another spanner into the mix regarding "gum" wood -- I checked in A Guide to Useful Woods of the World and in the US there is a fair chance that the terms "gum" and "red gum" would refer to sweetgum (Liquidambar styraciflua), which is also apparently know as "alligator tree, alligator wood, liquiambar, hazel pine, sapgum, star-leafed gum, satin walnut, redgum, gum, and bilstead." They discribe the wood as follows:


The heartwood of sweetgum is bright brown tinged with red, frequently with darker streaks. The sapwood is creamy white. The wood often has interlocking grain which forms a ribbon stripe. Few North American woods equal sweetgum in the beauty of its grain, and the wood with the best figure is marketed as "figured red gum" ... while the sapwood is sold under the name sapgum.The book also says that it "works with unusual ease in all hand and machine tool processes." It does not, however, steam bend well and it is not great in the area of rot resistance.

In any case, clearly some caution is called for when someone talks about "gum" since it seems like they could be talking about a number of very different species!

[Bruce Hooke]

To throw another spanner into the mix regarding "gum" wood -- I checked in A Guide to Useful Woods of the World and in the US there is a fair chance that the terms "gum" and "red gum" would refer to sweetgum (Liquidambar styraciflua), which is also apparently know as "alligator tree, alligator wood, liquiambar, hazel pine, sapgum, star-leafed gum, satin walnut, redgum, gum, and bilstead." They discribe the wood as follows:


The heartwood of sweetgum is bright brown tinged with red, frequently with darker streaks. The sapwood is creamy white. The wood often has interlocking grain which forms a ribbon stripe. Few North American woods equal sweetgum in the beauty of its grain, and the wood with the best figure is marketed as "figured red gum" ... while the sapwood is sold under the name sapgum.The book also says that it "works with unusual ease in all hand and machine tool processes." It does not, however, steam bend well and it is not great in the area of rot resistance.

In any case, clearly some caution is called for when someone talks about "gum" since it seems like they could be talking about a number of very different species!

[Dave Fleming]

The RED GUM we used on North Head was definitely from 'down under'. I clearly recall Bill Garden making a big thing of being able to find the proper size timbers right in Seattle.

As I recall Red Gum is/was a popular wood for such in the PacNoWest.

[Dave Fleming]

The RED GUM we used on North Head was definitely from 'down under'. I clearly recall Bill Garden making a big thing of being able to find the proper size timbers right in Seattle.

As I recall Red Gum is/was a popular wood for such in the PacNoWest.

[Dave Fleming]

The RED GUM we used on North Head was definitely from 'down under'. I clearly recall Bill Garden making a big thing of being able to find the proper size timbers right in Seattle.

As I recall Red Gum is/was a popular wood for such in the PacNoWest.

[Nicholas Carey]

Originally posted by Bruce Hooke:
To throw another spanner into the mix regarding "gum" wood -- I checked in A Guide to Useful Woods of the World and in the US there is a fair chance that the terms "gum" and "red gum" would refer to sweetgum (Liquidambar styraciflua),…Right, but the 'gum' (eucalyptus) on the west coast is australian eucalyptus rather than sweetgum. This is sweetgum (actually related to witch hazel, family Hamamelidaceae):

http://www.washington.edu/home/treetour/graphics/sweetgum.jpeg http://biology.smsu.edu/Herbarium/TreesonCampus/images/Sweetgum.jpg

It's a pretty distinctive tree (especially its fruit) and its range is pretty much limited to the SE USofA. While I'm sure there's some sweetgum growing in California, it's not, I don't believe very prevalent. And while eucalyptii are also pretty distinctive trees:

they're extremely unlikely to be confused with sweetgum (this is e. glaucescens on Vashon Island, Seattle):

http://www.angelfire.com/bc/eucalyptus/eglaulvs801.jpg

http://www.angelfire.com/bc/eucalyptus/eglauvashon8012.jpg

http://www.angelfire.com/bc/eucalyptus/eglaustem801.jpg

As to species, According to Robert Santos' excellent study of the history of eucalypts in California, The Eucalyptus of California: Seeds of Good or Seeds of Evil? (http://wwwlibrary.csustan.edu/bsantos/euctoc.htm), <span style="font-family:serif;">&hellip;H.M. Butterfield did find in 1935 an 1858-1859 Golden Gate Nursery Catalog at the Academy of Sciences in Golden Gate Park. It listed eucalyptus species as follows:

</font> Eucalyptus Resinfera (Aus.)&mdash;Splendid weeping forest tree. 60 feet. $10.00</font> Eucalyptus Argentea (Aus.)&mdash;Argentea foliage 20 feet. $10.00</font> Eucalyptus Augustifolia (Aus.)&mdash;dwarf 5 feet. $5.00</font>Also noted in the catalog is a list of seeds received from M. Guilfoyle of Sydney, September 15, 1859. These species were robusta, iron bark, blue gum, longifolia, nigra, and globosa (globulus?)[41]So even by 1860, there were a bunch of eucalypts being propagated in California. CalFlora (http://www.calflora.org/) lists 9 'common' eucalypts in California (http://www.calflora.org/cgi-bin/specieslist.cgi?orderby=taxon&where-genus=Eucalyptus):
</font> Eucalyptus camaldulensis. Red River gum, river redgum, red gum.</font> Eucalyptus citriodora. lemonscented gum, lemon-scented gum.</font> Eucalyptus cladocalyx. sugar gum, sugargum.</font> Eucalyptus globulus. Tasmanian bluegum, blue gum. (Classed as an Invasive Weed.)</font> Eucalyptus polyanthemos. redbox, silver dollar gum.</font> Eucalyptus pulverulenta. money tree, silverleaf mountain gum.</font> Eucalyptus sideroxylon. red iron bark, red ironbark.</font> Eucalyptus tereticornis. forest redgum, forest red gum.</font> Eucalyptus viminalis. manna gum.</font>Incidently CalFlora only lists one reported observation of american sweetgum (L. styraciflua). In 1943, a specamin was reported at the Frost Memorial Ampitheatre on the campus of Stanford University in Santa Clara county.

[Nicholas Carey]

Originally posted by Bruce Hooke:
To throw another spanner into the mix regarding "gum" wood -- I checked in A Guide to Useful Woods of the World and in the US there is a fair chance that the terms "gum" and "red gum" would refer to sweetgum (Liquidambar styraciflua),&hellip;Right, but the 'gum' (eucalyptus) on the west coast is australian eucalyptus rather than sweetgum. This is sweetgum (actually related to witch hazel, family Hamamelidaceae):

http://www.washington.edu/home/treetour/graphics/sweetgum.jpeg http://biology.smsu.edu/Herbarium/TreesonCampus/images/Sweetgum.jpg

It's a pretty distinctive tree (especially its fruit) and its range is pretty much limited to the SE USofA. While I'm sure there's some sweetgum growing in California, it's not, I don't believe very prevalent. And while eucalyptii are also pretty distinctive trees:

they're extremely unlikely to be confused with sweetgum (this is e. glaucescens on Vashon Island, Seattle):

http://www.angelfire.com/bc/eucalyptus/eglaulvs801.jpg

http://www.angelfire.com/bc/eucalyptus/eglauvashon8012.jpg

http://www.angelfire.com/bc/eucalyptus/eglaustem801.jpg

As to species, According to Robert Santos' excellent study of the history of eucalypts in California, The Eucalyptus of California: Seeds of Good or Seeds of Evil? (http://wwwlibrary.csustan.edu/bsantos/euctoc.htm), <span style="font-family:serif;">&hellip;H.M. Butterfield did find in 1935 an 1858-1859 Golden Gate Nursery Catalog at the Academy of Sciences in Golden Gate Park. It listed eucalyptus species as follows:

</font> Eucalyptus Resinfera (Aus.)&mdash;Splendid weeping forest tree. 60 feet. $10.00</font> Eucalyptus Argentea (Aus.)&mdash;Argentea foliage 20 feet. $10.00</font> Eucalyptus Augustifolia (Aus.)&mdash;dwarf 5 feet. $5.00</font>Also noted in the catalog is a list of seeds received from M. Guilfoyle of Sydney, September 15, 1859. These species were robusta, iron bark, blue gum, longifolia, nigra, and globosa (globulus?)[41]So even by 1860, there were a bunch of eucalypts being propagated in California. CalFlora (http://www.calflora.org/) lists 9 'common' eucalypts in California (http://www.calflora.org/cgi-bin/specieslist.cgi?orderby=taxon&where-genus=Eucalyptus):
</font> Eucalyptus camaldulensis. Red River gum, river redgum, red gum.</font> Eucalyptus citriodora. lemonscented gum, lemon-scented gum.</font> Eucalyptus cladocalyx. sugar gum, sugargum.</font> Eucalyptus globulus. Tasmanian bluegum, blue gum. (Classed as an Invasive Weed.)</font> Eucalyptus polyanthemos. redbox, silver dollar gum.</font> Eucalyptus pulverulenta. money tree, silverleaf mountain gum.</font> Eucalyptus sideroxylon. red iron bark, red ironbark.</font> Eucalyptus tereticornis. forest redgum, forest red gum.</font> Eucalyptus viminalis. manna gum.</font>Incidently CalFlora only lists one reported observation of american sweetgum (L. styraciflua). In 1943, a specamin was reported at the Frost Memorial Ampitheatre on the campus of Stanford University in Santa Clara county.

[Nicholas Carey]

Originally posted by Bruce Hooke:
To throw another spanner into the mix regarding "gum" wood -- I checked in A Guide to Useful Woods of the World and in the US there is a fair chance that the terms "gum" and "red gum" would refer to sweetgum (Liquidambar styraciflua),&hellip;Right, but the 'gum' (eucalyptus) on the west coast is australian eucalyptus rather than sweetgum. This is sweetgum (actually related to witch hazel, family Hamamelidaceae):

http://www.washington.edu/home/treetour/graphics/sweetgum.jpeg http://biology.smsu.edu/Herbarium/TreesonCampus/images/Sweetgum.jpg

It's a pretty distinctive tree (especially its fruit) and its range is pretty much limited to the SE USofA. While I'm sure there's some sweetgum growing in California, it's not, I don't believe very prevalent. And while eucalyptii are also pretty distinctive trees:

they're extremely unlikely to be confused with sweetgum (this is e. glaucescens on Vashon Island, Seattle):

http://www.angelfire.com/bc/eucalyptus/eglaulvs801.jpg

http://www.angelfire.com/bc/eucalyptus/eglauvashon8012.jpg

http://www.angelfire.com/bc/eucalyptus/eglaustem801.jpg

As to species, According to Robert Santos' excellent study of the history of eucalypts in California, The Eucalyptus of California: Seeds of Good or Seeds of Evil? (http://wwwlibrary.csustan.edu/bsantos/euctoc.htm), <span style="font-family:serif;">&hellip;H.M. Butterfield did find in 1935 an 1858-1859 Golden Gate Nursery Catalog at the Academy of Sciences in Golden Gate Park. It listed eucalyptus species as follows:

</font> Eucalyptus Resinfera (Aus.)&mdash;Splendid weeping forest tree. 60 feet. $10.00</font> Eucalyptus Argentea (Aus.)&mdash;Argentea foliage 20 feet. $10.00</font> Eucalyptus Augustifolia (Aus.)&mdash;dwarf 5 feet. $5.00</font>Also noted in the catalog is a list of seeds received from M. Guilfoyle of Sydney, September 15, 1859. These species were robusta, iron bark, blue gum, longifolia, nigra, and globosa (globulus?)[41]So even by 1860, there were a bunch of eucalypts being propagated in California. CalFlora (http://www.calflora.org/) lists 9 'common' eucalypts in California (http://www.calflora.org/cgi-bin/specieslist.cgi?orderby=taxon&where-genus=Eucalyptus):
</font> Eucalyptus camaldulensis. Red River gum, river redgum, red gum.</font> Eucalyptus citriodora. lemonscented gum, lemon-scented gum.</font> Eucalyptus cladocalyx. sugar gum, sugargum.</font> Eucalyptus globulus. Tasmanian bluegum, blue gum. (Classed as an Invasive Weed.)</font> Eucalyptus polyanthemos. redbox, silver dollar gum.</font> Eucalyptus pulverulenta. money tree, silverleaf mountain gum.</font> Eucalyptus sideroxylon. red iron bark, red ironbark.</font> Eucalyptus tereticornis. forest redgum, forest red gum.</font> Eucalyptus viminalis. manna gum.</font>Incidently CalFlora only lists one reported observation of american sweetgum (L. styraciflua). In 1943, a specamin was reported at the Frost Memorial Ampitheatre on the campus of Stanford University in Santa Clara county.

[Bruce Hooke]

Just to clarify -- I was not suggesting that anyone would confuse the two trees (sweet gum and the gums from down under), but I did suspect that the "gum" Norm encountered in crates might well have been sweetgum and that in talking about the various woods with "gum" in the name (or even "red gum" in the name) there could be room for confusion.

It is interesting to hear that on the West Coast of the US "gum" definitely refers to the Australian stuff, whereas in other parts of the country it could well refer to sweetgum! Sweetgum is a tree of the Southeast US so it would not be likely to show up in California except maybe as a very rare yard tree. It is supposed (according to me tree ID book) to be widely used for lumber and furniture, but according to woodfinder (http://www.wdfinder.com) it's not that easy to get as lumber (it is a bit hard to tell who is selling what given the name confusion).

OK, back to the topic at hand...my apologies for this sidetrack.

[Bruce Hooke]

Just to clarify -- I was not suggesting that anyone would confuse the two trees (sweet gum and the gums from down under), but I did suspect that the "gum" Norm encountered in crates might well have been sweetgum and that in talking about the various woods with "gum" in the name (or even "red gum" in the name) there could be room for confusion.

It is interesting to hear that on the West Coast of the US "gum" definitely refers to the Australian stuff, whereas in other parts of the country it could well refer to sweetgum! Sweetgum is a tree of the Southeast US so it would not be likely to show up in California except maybe as a very rare yard tree. It is supposed (according to me tree ID book) to be widely used for lumber and furniture, but according to woodfinder (http://www.wdfinder.com) it's not that easy to get as lumber (it is a bit hard to tell who is selling what given the name confusion).

OK, back to the topic at hand...my apologies for this sidetrack.

[Bruce Hooke]

Just to clarify -- I was not suggesting that anyone would confuse the two trees (sweet gum and the gums from down under), but I did suspect that the "gum" Norm encountered in crates might well have been sweetgum and that in talking about the various woods with "gum" in the name (or even "red gum" in the name) there could be room for confusion.

It is interesting to hear that on the West Coast of the US "gum" definitely refers to the Australian stuff, whereas in other parts of the country it could well refer to sweetgum! Sweetgum is a tree of the Southeast US so it would not be likely to show up in California except maybe as a very rare yard tree. It is supposed (according to me tree ID book) to be widely used for lumber and furniture, but according to woodfinder (http://www.wdfinder.com) it's not that easy to get as lumber (it is a bit hard to tell who is selling what given the name confusion).

OK, back to the topic at hand...my apologies for this sidetrack.

[Wooden Boat Fittings]

.
Bruce is quite right -- nobody would ever mistake a liquidambar for a eucalypt. There are no similarities at all, whether in leaves, fruit, bark, or growth form. Liquidambar is grown here purely as a decorative tree because (unlike any eucalypt,) it's deciduous and the leaves make a spectacular show in autumn.

Jarrah and river red are quite alike in colour, and are seen as particularly striking in objets d'art like the furniture mentioned.

We use both of these in our fittings. Conrads blocks are always jarrah.

http://www.woodenboatfittings.com.au/public/double-blocks-pic-s.jpg

And there's a pearling lugger being rebuilt down my way entirely in jarrah -- everything from keel to gunwales.

http://www.woodenboatfittings.com.au/public/pam.jpg

Mike

[Wooden Boat Fittings]

.
Bruce is quite right -- nobody would ever mistake a liquidambar for a eucalypt. There are no similarities at all, whether in leaves, fruit, bark, or growth form. Liquidambar is grown here purely as a decorative tree because (unlike any eucalypt,) it's deciduous and the leaves make a spectacular show in autumn.

Jarrah and river red are quite alike in colour, and are seen as particularly striking in objets d'art like the furniture mentioned.

We use both of these in our fittings. Conrads blocks are always jarrah.

http://www.woodenboatfittings.com.au/public/double-blocks-pic-s.jpg

And there's a pearling lugger being rebuilt down my way entirely in jarrah -- everything from keel to gunwales.

http://www.woodenboatfittings.com.au/public/pam.jpg

Mike

[Wooden Boat Fittings]

.
Bruce is quite right -- nobody would ever mistake a liquidambar for a eucalypt. There are no similarities at all, whether in leaves, fruit, bark, or growth form. Liquidambar is grown here purely as a decorative tree because (unlike any eucalypt,) it's deciduous and the leaves make a spectacular show in autumn.

Jarrah and river red are quite alike in colour, and are seen as particularly striking in objets d'art like the furniture mentioned.

We use both of these in our fittings. Conrads blocks are always jarrah.

http://www.woodenboatfittings.com.au/public/double-blocks-pic-s.jpg

And there's a pearling lugger being rebuilt down my way entirely in jarrah -- everything from keel to gunwales.

http://www.woodenboatfittings.com.au/public/pam.jpg

Mike

[Bruce Hooke]

Man, this story goes all over the place! Now we find out that the Australians have imported sweetgum to their country!

[Bruce Hooke]

Man, this story goes all over the place! Now we find out that the Australians have imported sweetgum to their country!

[Bruce Hooke]

Man, this story goes all over the place! Now we find out that the Australians have imported sweetgum to their country!

[Stiletto]

Mike , that will be a strong and heavy boat, the Jarrah I've come across has a fair bit of heft to it!

[Stiletto]

Mike , that will be a strong and heavy boat, the Jarrah I've come across has a fair bit of heft to it!

[Stiletto]

Mike , that will be a strong and heavy boat, the Jarrah I've come across has a fair bit of heft to it!

[PeterSibley]

Nice photo of Nic's blocks smile.gif and where is this lugger???? Details please Mike !! :D

[PeterSibley]

Nice photo of Nic's blocks smile.gif and where is this lugger???? Details please Mike !! :D

[PeterSibley]

Nice photo of Nic's blocks smile.gif and where is this lugger???? Details please Mike !! :D

[Wooden Boat Fittings]

.
Stiletto -- oh yes, absolutely. Jarrah's the same density as Sydney Blue Gum. (To be honest, I think the bloke's a bit of a jarrah-nut. But I'm not complaining -- I came away with a boot-load of offcuts that he was going to bbq his steak over.)

The photos I took were really appallingly bad, but here are a couple more --

http://www.woodenboatfittings.com.au/public/pam2.jpg

http://www.woodenboatfittings.com.au/public/pam3.jpg
.

Peter -- They're beautiful blocks, aren't they? First-quality construction too -- Oz's best.

http://www.woodenboatfittings.com.au/public/conrads-blocks-s.jpg

The work, when I saw it last, was all happening at the Traralgon sports ground, of all unlikely places. It's not a restoration unfortunately, it's just a plain rebuild. The bloke had her shipped down by road from Broome to work on her. :eek: There's keen, and then there's fanatical....

Mike

[Wooden Boat Fittings]

.
Stiletto -- oh yes, absolutely. Jarrah's the same density as Sydney Blue Gum. (To be honest, I think the bloke's a bit of a jarrah-nut. But I'm not complaining -- I came away with a boot-load of offcuts that he was going to bbq his steak over.)

The photos I took were really appallingly bad, but here are a couple more --

http://www.woodenboatfittings.com.au/public/pam2.jpg

http://www.woodenboatfittings.com.au/public/pam3.jpg
.

Peter -- They're beautiful blocks, aren't they? First-quality construction too -- Oz's best.

http://www.woodenboatfittings.com.au/public/conrads-blocks-s.jpg

The work, when I saw it last, was all happening at the Traralgon sports ground, of all unlikely places. It's not a restoration unfortunately, it's just a plain rebuild. The bloke had her shipped down by road from Broome to work on her. :eek: There's keen, and then there's fanatical....

Mike

[Wooden Boat Fittings]

.
Stiletto -- oh yes, absolutely. Jarrah's the same density as Sydney Blue Gum. (To be honest, I think the bloke's a bit of a jarrah-nut. But I'm not complaining -- I came away with a boot-load of offcuts that he was going to bbq his steak over.)

The photos I took were really appallingly bad, but here are a couple more --

http://www.woodenboatfittings.com.au/public/pam2.jpg

http://www.woodenboatfittings.com.au/public/pam3.jpg
.

Peter -- They're beautiful blocks, aren't they? First-quality construction too -- Oz's best.

http://www.woodenboatfittings.com.au/public/conrads-blocks-s.jpg

The work, when I saw it last, was all happening at the Traralgon sports ground, of all unlikely places. It's not a restoration unfortunately, it's just a plain rebuild. The bloke had her shipped down by road from Broome to work on her. :eek: There's keen, and then there's fanatical....

Mike

[Stiletto]

The beautiful colour of the gums is something to behold, as those blocks show.

I remember working on houses in Townsville in the seventies that had narrow floorboards of what was called 'bush gum' which was a generic term for whatever the sawmill cut into flooring.

The natural mixture of rich colours of the different species of gum looked stunning when finished, in what was a low cost house.
Probably designer trendy today.

[Stiletto]

The beautiful colour of the gums is something to behold, as those blocks show.

I remember working on houses in Townsville in the seventies that had narrow floorboards of what was called 'bush gum' which was a generic term for whatever the sawmill cut into flooring.

The natural mixture of rich colours of the different species of gum looked stunning when finished, in what was a low cost house.
Probably designer trendy today.

[Stiletto]

The beautiful colour of the gums is something to behold, as those blocks show.

I remember working on houses in Townsville in the seventies that had narrow floorboards of what was called 'bush gum' which was a generic term for whatever the sawmill cut into flooring.

The natural mixture of rich colours of the different species of gum looked stunning when finished, in what was a low cost house.
Probably designer trendy today.

[Hal Forsen]

Please see this previous discussion :
http://media5.hypernet.com/cgi-bin/UBB/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic&f=4&t=002352&p=
Since then I've done some testing and have no hesitation about using Lyptus in a boat. It works well enough, finishes nicely, and is quite affordable.
http://www.higginshardwoods.com/products.php/lumber/lyptus/189

HF

[Hal Forsen]

Please see this previous discussion :
http://media5.hypernet.com/cgi-bin/UBB/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic&f=4&t=002352&p=
Since then I've done some testing and have no hesitation about using Lyptus in a boat. It works well enough, finishes nicely, and is quite affordable.
http://www.higginshardwoods.com/products.php/lumber/lyptus/189

HF

[Hal Forsen]

Please see this previous discussion :
http://media5.hypernet.com/cgi-bin/UBB/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic&f=4&t=002352&p=
Since then I've done some testing and have no hesitation about using Lyptus in a boat. It works well enough, finishes nicely, and is quite affordable.
http://www.higginshardwoods.com/products.php/lumber/lyptus/189

HF

[Wooden Boat Fittings]

.
Yes, it certainly sounds okay Hal. I'd dearly like to know what timber it is though, all the same.

Mike

[Wooden Boat Fittings]

.
Yes, it certainly sounds okay Hal. I'd dearly like to know what timber it is though, all the same.

Mike

[Wooden Boat Fittings]

.
Yes, it certainly sounds okay Hal. I'd dearly like to know what timber it is though, all the same.

Mike

[Hal Forsen]

This is from the Weyerheuser Lyptus site:

Lyptus® is a premium plantation-grown hardwood from Brazil. A natural hybrid of Eucalyptus grandis and E. urophylla, Lyptus® features many desirable characteristics, including exceptional workability, machining properties, density, finish tolerance and overall strength. This makes it well-suited for diverse high-end applications like furniture, cabinets, flooring and architectural millwork.

Building with Lyptus® is a wise environmental choice. Wood is produced using proprietary technology in a sustainable and environmentally responsible manner. Eucalyptus is grown on very productive plantations, where stands of indigenous trees are interspersed to preserve natural habitat. Wood can be harvested in just 14 to 16 years – much faster then other premium hardwoods grown in colder climates – ensuring reliable supplies throughout the foreseeable future.
HF

[Hal Forsen]

This is from the Weyerheuser Lyptus site:

Lyptus® is a premium plantation-grown hardwood from Brazil. A natural hybrid of Eucalyptus grandis and E. urophylla, Lyptus® features many desirable characteristics, including exceptional workability, machining properties, density, finish tolerance and overall strength. This makes it well-suited for diverse high-end applications like furniture, cabinets, flooring and architectural millwork.

Building with Lyptus® is a wise environmental choice. Wood is produced using proprietary technology in a sustainable and environmentally responsible manner. Eucalyptus is grown on very productive plantations, where stands of indigenous trees are interspersed to preserve natural habitat. Wood can be harvested in just 14 to 16 years – much faster then other premium hardwoods grown in colder climates – ensuring reliable supplies throughout the foreseeable future.
HF

[Hal Forsen]

This is from the Weyerheuser Lyptus site:

Lyptus® is a premium plantation-grown hardwood from Brazil. A natural hybrid of Eucalyptus grandis and E. urophylla, Lyptus® features many desirable characteristics, including exceptional workability, machining properties, density, finish tolerance and overall strength. This makes it well-suited for diverse high-end applications like furniture, cabinets, flooring and architectural millwork.

Building with Lyptus® is a wise environmental choice. Wood is produced using proprietary technology in a sustainable and environmentally responsible manner. Eucalyptus is grown on very productive plantations, where stands of indigenous trees are interspersed to preserve natural habitat. Wood can be harvested in just 14 to 16 years – much faster then other premium hardwoods grown in colder climates – ensuring reliable supplies throughout the foreseeable future.
HF

[bret]

My my my,
Go away for a day or two and look what happens. I really want to thank every one for all the input. I guess the general concesus would be to:
1. Get some of the freakin' wood
2. Build a freakin' boat
3. See if it freakin' floats

I think I can do that. I think. I was hoping to try building a Norwegian pram using traditional methods. Interlocking grain vs. splitting out planks. Sounds futile, which is good, because I excel at futility.

As far as a description of the trees I have been looking at:
Long, spear-like leaves similar to one of the photos above, bark is smooth, but constantly peeling, the wood is light in color with no disernable growth rings. Grows like weeds.

[bret]

My my my,
Go away for a day or two and look what happens. I really want to thank every one for all the input. I guess the general concesus would be to:
1. Get some of the freakin' wood
2. Build a freakin' boat
3. See if it freakin' floats

I think I can do that. I think. I was hoping to try building a Norwegian pram using traditional methods. Interlocking grain vs. splitting out planks. Sounds futile, which is good, because I excel at futility.

As far as a description of the trees I have been looking at:
Long, spear-like leaves similar to one of the photos above, bark is smooth, but constantly peeling, the wood is light in color with no disernable growth rings. Grows like weeds.

[bret]

My my my,
Go away for a day or two and look what happens. I really want to thank every one for all the input. I guess the general concesus would be to:
1. Get some of the freakin' wood
2. Build a freakin' boat
3. See if it freakin' floats

I think I can do that. I think. I was hoping to try building a Norwegian pram using traditional methods. Interlocking grain vs. splitting out planks. Sounds futile, which is good, because I excel at futility.

As far as a description of the trees I have been looking at:
Long, spear-like leaves similar to one of the photos above, bark is smooth, but constantly peeling, the wood is light in color with no disernable growth rings. Grows like weeds.

[Bruce Hooke]

In your shoes I would try to do two things right off the bat:

1. Get a good tree identification book that includes the different eucalypts you are seeing. Given the variety of eucalypts in your area it seems like it will be important to know what you are dealing with.

2. Try to get your hands on a few wood samples and experiment with them to see what they are like to work with. This is especially important if you are thinking about splitting out planks. This sounds to me like a dicey proposition in a wood with interlocking grain and what sounds like a reputation for having spiral grain, but until you try it you won't know for sure.

[Bruce Hooke]

In your shoes I would try to do two things right off the bat:

1. Get a good tree identification book that includes the different eucalypts you are seeing. Given the variety of eucalypts in your area it seems like it will be important to know what you are dealing with.

2. Try to get your hands on a few wood samples and experiment with them to see what they are like to work with. This is especially important if you are thinking about splitting out planks. This sounds to me like a dicey proposition in a wood with interlocking grain and what sounds like a reputation for having spiral grain, but until you try it you won't know for sure.

[Bruce Hooke]

In your shoes I would try to do two things right off the bat:

1. Get a good tree identification book that includes the different eucalypts you are seeing. Given the variety of eucalypts in your area it seems like it will be important to know what you are dealing with.

2. Try to get your hands on a few wood samples and experiment with them to see what they are like to work with. This is especially important if you are thinking about splitting out planks. This sounds to me like a dicey proposition in a wood with interlocking grain and what sounds like a reputation for having spiral grain, but until you try it you won't know for sure.

[Wooden Boat Fittings]

.
Thanks Hal.

Eucalyptus grandis is the rose gum -- strength group C, 47pcf @ 12½% mc, rarely attacked by lyctus, moderately durable for termites and fungal attack. E. urophylla is not an Australian eucalypt as far as I know. In any case, I have no information on it. So given that you've got access to "Lyptus" there seems no reason why you shouldn't use it. I think there are better eucalypts available, but perhaps not as readily obtainable in the US.

Mike

[Wooden Boat Fittings]

.
Thanks Hal.

Eucalyptus grandis is the rose gum -- strength group C, 47pcf @ 12½% mc, rarely attacked by lyctus, moderately durable for termites and fungal attack. E. urophylla is not an Australian eucalypt as far as I know. In any case, I have no information on it. So given that you've got access to "Lyptus" there seems no reason why you shouldn't use it. I think there are better eucalypts available, but perhaps not as readily obtainable in the US.

Mike

[Wooden Boat Fittings]

.
Thanks Hal.

Eucalyptus grandis is the rose gum -- strength group C, 47pcf @ 12½% mc, rarely attacked by lyctus, moderately durable for termites and fungal attack. E. urophylla is not an Australian eucalypt as far as I know. In any case, I have no information on it. So given that you've got access to "Lyptus" there seems no reason why you shouldn't use it. I think there are better eucalypts available, but perhaps not as readily obtainable in the US.

Mike

[PeterSibley]

It really is a pity you haven't got the good ones...it is truly good stuff.Strong and durable, heavy too ,but there are places and boats where that doesn't matter .

[PeterSibley]

It really is a pity you haven't got the good ones...it is truly good stuff.Strong and durable, heavy too ,but there are places and boats where that doesn't matter .

[PeterSibley]

It really is a pity you haven't got the good ones...it is truly good stuff.Strong and durable, heavy too ,but there are places and boats where that doesn't matter .